I love that my job allows me to work with students of all ages and teachers of all grades and subject areas. Another thing I love about the students I work with is their honesty. They will have no problem telling you what they think of your activities (almost always for the best, but I always encourage constructive criticism - it helps all of us grow and learn!). Students will share with me how they liked what they did, what they would like to do in the future, or something that they thought was cool. Usually the "cool" things are things that I did not anticipate or happened through their own creativity. One thing I always wonder (as I push-in to classrooms and co-teach) is how much of the activities that are done when I am in the classroom actually make it home as part of the daily learning story that is shared at the end of the day.
Which started me thinking about how I might be able to encourage this engagement conversation...and it led me to something simple - a hand stamp!
Which started me thinking about how I might be able to encourage this engagement conversation...and it led me to something simple - a hand stamp!
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As I was looking on Pinterest and Amazon for some stamps I could purchase, I had a hard time finding one that fit what I wanted to accomplish. I know I can be a perfectionist about some things, but I wanted something more than just a smiley-face stamp. My searching was sporadic over a couple of days and then a had a friend who shared that she bought a hat from Zazzle, which prompted me to look into what Zazzle offered. And what it offered was the solution to my problem - the ability to custom design rubber stamps (as well as many other products)!
I started playing around with the design tools and was very quickly able to design a stamp that was a little punny, I mean funny, that I thought the students would enjoy. I was able to design a couple and added them to a store so that if anyone was in my same perfectionist position (or just likes cute stamps for students), they could enjoy them as well. |
To check out my Zazzle store of hand stamps, click here.
The first time I used the stamp I ordered ("Let's Taco About My Awesome Work Today!"), I asked the students to clean up their work spaces and return their STEM bins to me to receive a hand stamp (if they wanted one). They were quick to clean up (and did a great job of it) so that they could get their stamp. Once they saw it had a taco on it, they were super excited! Who knew a taco could bring someone so much joy?! I am excited for the next time I see the class to hear if they shared their stamp and learning story when they got home. Which their enthusiasm and excitement led to me to order 5 more stamps because the quality of the stamp was awesome the kids reactions were priceless!
Well, let's just be honest here and put it out there that not only am I a bit of a perfectionist, I like being a bit extra. So not only did I have to buy a stamp pad off Amazon, I had to buy a SCENTED stamp pad in the delicious scent of grape (which I love, but doesn't actually ever smell like the grapes I eat). Talk about student excitement at the next level with this one!
You can't just have one taco stamp, right? :)
